The advent of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) solutions and miniaturization of radios has forced traditional hand-held terminal technology to reduce in size. Specifically, wireless technology has reduced in size and been combined with a digital network interface such that they comply with the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) form factor. Accordingly, wireless networking PC cards can be used to transform any computing device with a PCMCIA slot into a wireless device.
An example of such a WLAN solution is the 802.11 specifications. The 802.11 specifications are an evolving family of specifications for WLANs developed by a working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). There are several specifications in the family and new ones are occasionally added. Currently wireless communication devices built in accordance with the 802.11 specifications are capable of transferring data at rates up to 54 Mbps and at a distance of up to 250 meters, although the practical transmission distance actually achieved is significantly lower. In fact, typical achievable ranges are approximately 100 meters and less.
Increasingly, however, hand-held terminals having long-range radio solutions are being required. For example, wireless inventory devices used in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and dockyards are typically used in excess of the maximum distance afforded by current technology.
One current solution to this problem is to provide repeaters to extend the range of the wireless communication device. However this solution is costly, impractical, and may increase the likelihood of a transmission error since the data has to be passed through an increased number of devices. Another current solution is to use standard narrow band ultra high frequency (UHF) radio technology with the hand-held technology. However, the size of the technology currently being implement consumes significant power and renders the hand-held terminal unwieldy and, as such, impractical.
Accordingly, it can be seen that there is a need for a wireless communication device that combines the power consumption and size of current WLAN technology with the transmission distance of narrow band UHF radio technology.